update NewS from dNv to the tANker INduStry No 02 2011 - Hays

Arctic PrincessSvein-Are Gusdal, a captain on board theArctic Lady, has been a sailor since he was22 years old, in the gas trade since 1976and has just turned 60. We recently discussedhis experiences from the specialtrade of braving the North Atlantic, NorwegianSea and Barents Sea close to thenorthern tip of Norway during the winter,when storms can be fierce.“The northern part of the sea route toMelkøya has unpredictable weather as it isat 70 degrees north. Arctic lows (low pressuresystems) often appear suddenly, bringinggale force winds, and the terminal atMelkøya is not the place to be for too longin those weather conditions. To me, quickin and out again is the preferred mode.We have experienced temperatures downto minus 15 to 20 degrees centigrade. Withthe wind chill on top, this trade can beextremely cold and completely differentfrom other worldwide trades.”The Arctic Lady is ‘winterized’. What does thatmean in practical terms?“It means the ship has additional insulationof the accommodation and storagespaces, heating systems in the form ofelectrical coils on walkways and laddersand deicing systems for other areas. Firelines on deck and other piping systemsare also protected against ice formation.This works very well, as does the heatingin the cargo manifold area to prevent icefrom building up. In addition, the bridgeis extended to the enclosed and heatedbridge wings to protect the crew from thebitterly cold weather when entering andleaving the terminal. The biggest problemwith the Winterized class notation is howto explain the difference between ice classand winterized to the many vetting agentsand port authorities. They don’t alwaysknow or understand the difference. Iceclass means a stronger hull when neededto be able to travel through varying typesof ice. There is no ice any time of the yearat Melkøya, just bad weather. So we don’tneed a strengthened hull for this purpose.Winterized is, however, mainly intended tomake the vessel fit for purpose in low temperaturesthrough special features abovethe waterline. The degree of winterizationneeds to be tailormade for different tradesin different parts of the world.Have you personally experienced any problemswith icing?“Actually, we haven’t during the first fouryears of operation. I’ve never had any›› Captain Svein-Are Gusdal onboard the Arctic Lady.26 | Tanker UPDATE NO. 2 2011